Visit the Sick

My mother, who is always there to offer help to our family with watching the younger kids, had a leg injury and found herself non weight bearing for the winter months. We had planned a ski trip with our family and she had agreed to keep the baby so we could go with the other children. Because our youngest was only one year old at the time, we found ourselves in a bind. Our 8 year old son spoke up and said he would stay behind and go with the baby to his Grandparents house. He decided that he would take of both the baby and his Grandma! It was so beautiful to witness. In his small ways he knew he could care for his home bound Grandmother and still take care of the needs of his baby brother. It was at this point that I realized, all we have to do as mothers is keep our eyes fixed on opportunities to serve with love and sacrifice. I was so excited to share with our son and our family that this is exactly what God calls us to do and that he was exercising one of the Corporal Works of Mercy, visiting the sick. He was so excited and moved to learn this term of spirituality. We all learned through his generosity, charity, and mercy towards all of us on that day. – Gretchen, mom of 5, Sunbury, Ohio

We visit the elderly Alzheimer patients once a month and play games with them. They love it and so do the kids! – Kate, mom of 5, Akeny, Iowa

Recently, we were blessed to visit an old pastor from our parish who now is in a nursing home in town. It brought my husband and I so much joy to see how amazing this priest was with our kids, all five of whom were sweating blood as they visited in his extremely hot room! This priest baptized, confirmed, and gave First Communion to my husband when he came into the Church almost 20 years ago. We hadn’t stayed in touch with him and felt odd about reaching out to him initially, but it was quite rewarding. We are really trying to make an effort to visit him with the kids and keep in touch with him. We used to think that surely priests had plenty of friends, even in nursing homes, but in reality, I think that is so far from the truth. – Shannon, mom of 5, Columbus, Ohio

My girls help mothers of newborns, by watching the other children or making meals. – Anne, mom of 4, Irving, Texas

My Mom is in a nursing home, so it’s natural for me to visit her and I don’t even think of it as a corporal work of mercy. But to Moms with youngsters out there, the residents love to see young children – it brings them a lot of joy! You may want to consider making a phone call to a local nursing home. At the home where my Mom is, they have a big trick or treat party near Halloween. The residents love to see all of the kids in their costumes, and the kids love an extra “trick or treat” event. – Peggy, mom of three, Columbus, Ohio